What are they?
Varicose veins are distended tributaries of "branches" of the major veins in the leg. They become distended if the valves fail in the main veins, allowing blood to fall back down the leg, rather than be pumped back to the heart.

Are they serious?
In the past varicose veins were thought to be "only cosmetic" and could be safely left alone. We now know they are usually a sign that the main veins aren't working properly.
The varicose veins themselves rarely cause a serious problem, although they can bleed or clot (thrombophlebitis) - this clot formation within the veins can rarely result in deep vein thrombosis ("DVT") and the "economy class syndrome". However, the chronically raised pressure in the malfunctioning venous system can frequently lead to problems such as ankle swelling and a feeling of fullness about the ankle when standing, discomfort in the calves at night, venous eczema, brown staining of the skin and even chronic leg ulcers.

Who gets them?
There are many "old wives tales" about what causes varicose veins. We now know that men get them just as often as women, that pregnancy worsens them, but does not cause them; and that they are not caused by being overweight. However, we do know that they run in families.

What do I do about my varicose veins?
No matter how expert a specialist is, without Vein Duplex Ultrasound we can only guess what is going on in a leg. The Vein Duplex Ultrasound, performed buy one of our specialist vascular technologists, maps which veins are working and which are not, so that we can accurately assess your leg and plan exactly what treatment is needed.

Will they come back after treatment?
There are three main reasons why veins come back after an operation:
1) If Duplex Ultrasound has not been done, then the surgeon has "guessed" which veins to treat and some may have been left behind.
2) If the old "Tie and Strip" type operation is done, the body is stimulated to heal and so new veins can form - we can stop this happening by using VNUS Closure (see later section).
3) You can develop NEW varicose veins: veins that were normal on the day of treatment can go wrong at a later date - this only happens in about 2 in 100 people per year.